HVDC GROUND ELECTRODES – A SOURCE OF GEOPHYSICAL DATA

Abstract:

The HVDC electrode is a component of a High Voltage Direct Current energy transmission system, and is designed to inject into the ground continuous currents up to 3500 A. The typical HVDC ground electrode is a ring of vertical conductors, 1 km wide, buried a few tens of meters.

The design of a HVDC electrode is based on extensive geological, geotechnical and geophysical surveys. Geophysical data are usually electrical (VES) and electromagnetic (TEM/MT) acquisitions, for the modeling of the shallow, near-surface and deep layers of the crust. This survey aims, first, the electrode site selection, and then, at the selected site, this data is combined into a single apparent resistivity curve, which is inverted, allowing for the determination of the layered geoelectric crust model. The injection of electrical continuous current in the electrode is then simulated, with the geoelectric crust model, for the determination of the soil surface potential profile (which is usually asymmetric for different directions, due to non-1D geoelectric models).

For the commissioning of a HVDC electrode, field measurements are done, such as electrode grounding resistance, soil surface potentials and metal-to-soil potentials at specific structures (buried pipelines, for instance).

The geophysical data acquired during the design phase is a set of data completely independent from the electrical data acquired during the electrode commissioning phase, and both are correlated by the geoelectric model. It happens, therefore, that the geoelectric model can be calibrated based on the electrical data, with the correction of static shifts and other adjustments.

This paper suggests that the commissioning of HVDC systems should be associated to a research & development program, with a university or foundation. The idea is to enjoy the opportunity of a more complete field survey, with the acquisition of a wide set of data for a better geological characterization of the area where the electrode was built.